Perfectly Normal: Have You Forgotten What Happened in this Series?
by BrilliantLady
Summary: This fic doesn't contain new information, it's a meta work providing brief summaries of fics in the "Perfectly Normal" series. Each chapter summarises one of the fics as an aid to refresh your memory if it's been a while since you read the series, but you want to pick up where you left off. Warning – major spoilers ahead!
1. The Definition of Normal

Summary of "The Definition of Normal" - contains major spoilers for this fic.

A young Harry learns the everyday power of words. He's going to make the Dursleys happy by being "normal". Then they'll love him, just like they love Dudley! It's a flawless plan... right?

* * *

Harry as a young boy sought to please the neglectfully abusive Dursleys by being as 'normal' as possible, acting like other kids do and liking only the things his family approved of. He also strove for carefully manipulated average grades (which took an awful lot of study). He slowly gained benefits including a real bedroom, better clothes, and more food, and grew up relatively healthy and content. However, he still suffered from emotional neglect, verbal abuse, and shorter rations than his pampered cousin. Over time he improved his relationship with Dudley through helping him with his school work.

With this background, Harry developed a desire for normality, a people-pleasing manipulative streak, a wariness of standing out (as both over and under-achieving drew his aunt and uncle's ire), and a few psychological quirks such as a tendency to hoard emergency food supplies and an aversion to touch. He hoped to win his guardians' loving care with his efforts to be normal. However, it was not to be, and he only earnt their tolerance.

Harry didn't want to go to Hogwarts and ruin his dreams of becoming a doctor and refused to attend but was pressured into it in the end due to an intervention by the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall.


	2. A New Kind of Normal

Summary of "A New Kind of Normal" - contains major spoilers for this fic.

Harry doesn't want to learn magic or go to Hogwarts – he just wants to be normal, like the Dursleys. But a meddling, crazy old wizard won't take "no" for an answer. Harry might have to learn how to be a normal wizard instead. But who will teach him what that means – Light wizards or pure-blood friends?

* * *

In Harry's first year at Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat wanted him in Slytherin, or perhaps Ravenclaw as a second choice. After it outright refused Harry's preference for Hufflepuff, Gryffindor was the compromise choice.

Harry made friends with Neville, whom he'd met and bonded with in Diagon Alley, Hermione, Ron, and also his second cousin Pansy Parkinson. His relationship with Pansy led to the beginnings of friendships with other Slytherins and an introduction to pure-blood cultural etiquette and their pagan religion. He was curious and keen to integrate, but Hermione found the traditions unappealing and bigoted.

Harry did _not_ enjoy Quidditch after almost being thrown from his broom, and he quit the team to focus on his exhaustingly "average" studies. He slowly made friends with the Voldemort-possessed Professor Quirrell who'd sent Harry a picture of his mother (it was actually from Snape) and, at the end of the year, fell for his sob story and helped him abscond with the Philosopher's Stone.

Through confidential correspondence with "Quirrell" the next year, Harry learnt that Quirrellmort had discovered that the Stone was a fake and that its creators, the Flamels, were in hiding, though neither fact became public knowledge.


	3. Parseltongue is Really Very Ordinary

Summary of "Parseltongue is Really Very Ordinary" - contains major spoilers for this fic.

Harry's been learning about pure-blood culture, with Pansy's help, and trying to blend in as an ordinary wizard. But will all his attempts at seeming normal be ruined when they find out he can speak to snakes? His Slytherin friends take the news differently than the Gryffindors.

* * *

In Harry's second year Professor Lockhart was delighted to assist Harry with learning about how to manage his fame. Lockhart helped him fix his mail problems, replacing the restrictive owl ward set by Dumbledore with one that allowed him to receive fan mail after sunset.

Harry carried on a correspondence with the fugitive Quirrellmort, who was ever-so-understanding. They chatted about wizarding culture, and Harry shared his woes about things like the mixed reaction to him being a Parselmouth, and his fight with Ron over it.

Pansy and her other Slytherin friends Millicent, Tracey, and Daphne encouraged Harry in his studies of wizarding culture and invited him to join in their secretive celebrations of the Old traditional quarter-festivals. He increasingly enjoyed them, but Neville was only a reluctant and temporary participant.

After returning to the Dursleys for Christmas, Harry went alone to visit Potter Cottage and the ruins of Potter Manor, collecting a few souvenirs while there. He also received a magical snake as a Yule gift from Pansy – a pet baby rainbow serpent that he named Storm.

With rumours flying about the school that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin and behind the petrifications, many were scared of him, while some Slytherins were secretly delighted. Some students started acting cautiously polite and ingratiating towards him, helped along by his Slytherin friends' prompts that making an enemy of him would be a moronic strategy whether he was the Heir or not. Draco, in particular, was keen to assist Harry in his mysterious schemes, cover for him as necessary, and to establish a friendship with the Heir of Slytherin.

Snape was shocked at Imbolc to discover that Harry Potter followed the Old Ways like himself, and was cunning and loyal enough to try and cover for everyone's presence (unnecessary though it was). It was the final piece of proof he needed to fully grasp the fact that Harry was not at all like his father. Snape consequently watched Harry more carefully in Potions, noticing Harry's deliberate sabotage of his own work to the Dreadful standard he thought Snape wanted and expected of him. Snape subsequently demanded improvements in Harry's grade and additionally nudged Flitwick to trick Harry into performing better than he'd planned on his end-of-year Charms exam.

Ginny handed in Tom Riddle's worrisome diary to the 'heroic' Professor Lockhart for safe disposal, but Lockhart instead started writing the draft of his next book in it and soon found himself possessed.

Under Tom's control Lockhart Stunned those who posed a risk to his schemes in some way – Harry, Neville, Ginny, and an interfering Ravenclaw, Alice Tolipan (who'd once queried his presence in a girls' bathroom) – and took them down to the Chamber of Secrets for a ritual sacrifice which would help Tom possess Lockhart more fully. Tom complained to Harry that such a possession would be a temporary measure, however, as eventually his host's body would begin to decay and fall apart.

Hearing his prospective ugly fate motivated the possessed Lockhart into fighting off Tom's hold on his body, and Harry cheered him on to success.

Storm argued with the Basilisk, Custos, that Tom was nothing but a cold ghost and Harry was a much better choice of Heir to obey. Ultimately Custos acknowledged Harry as the new rightful Heir of Slytherin. Harry then called Dobby to take away the silk-wrapped diary and bury it in the Forbidden Forest.

Post battle, Custos returned to her lair to hibernate. Harry beat Lockhart's attempt to Obliviate him, and instead they made a deal – all the glory of defeating the spirit and "killing the Basilisk" would go to Lockhart – with a little tweaking for more heroic drama – and in lieu of unwanted glory, a share of the profits of Lockhart's next book would go to Harry.

Pansy insisted that it was Chamber of Secrets, _plural_ , so Harry began exploring the Chamber more thoroughly. His most notable discovery was an ancient mosaic of a Romano-British wizard named Ambrosius Aurelianus. After his friend Millicent was hurt in the Chamber whilst exploring, the Headmaster put a ward on the entrance in the girls' bathroom, unaware that Harry knew of an additional secret entrance.

At the end of the year, Harry gifted Snape with his mother's bequest that he'd retrieved from Potter Cottage – a crystal lily statuette – and the message of forgiveness that was in her will. Snape was bitter and angry about Dumbledore's neglect in failing to properly fulfil his job as executor.


	4. An Abnormal Godfather

Summary of "An Abnormal Godfather" - contains major spoilers for this fic.

Harry finds juggling studying for his Muggle IGCSEs and his Hogwarts subjects harder than he expected, especially with the distraction of Sirius Black escaping Azkaban. What he really needs is more time… why does Hermione look so guilty when he says that?

* * *

Before third year began Pansy Parkinson's grandfather (and thus Harry's relative too) visited the Dursleys and offered assistance in warding their property, because Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban. The offended Dursleys promptly panicked and refused his help, then kicked Harry out of their home. Dudley was the only one who showed real concern over this turn of events and lent Harry a knife, wishing him luck.

After telling his woes to a lurking mangy black dog, Harry left Surrey and hid out at the Potter Cottage with Dobby. There he found a runic circle hidden under a rug beneath his old cot. Eventually, he was pressured into staying with the Longbottoms at their Roman-style manor until school resumed.

Harry started his elective subjects – Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes – and continued his correspondence courses in Muggle subjects, as his ambitions now focused on becoming _both_ a magical Healer and a university-qualified doctor. His attempts to juggle his competing studies got a lot easier after he discovered Hermione had a Time-Turner and manipulated her into sharing it with him. He spent a lot of his doubled-up time in the Chamber of Secrets doing school work and chatting with Ambrosius' mosaic. Later on at Yule, Harry discovered that Ambrosius was actually the legendary Merlin.

Snape's prickly friendship with Harry grew, despite Snape's blackmailing efforts to get Harry to raise his grades. As a result of Draco's injury in class, Hagrid was forced into setting a proper grade-appropriate curriculum for his CoMC classes.

During Sirius' incursion at Halloween, a "Potter Watch" group of volunteers guarded Harry and other students in the Great Hall. It subsequently transformed into a DADA club, and Junior, Middle and Senior groups were formed where students practised the Patronus Charm and other defensive spells. The H.E.L.P. Society led by Hermione was also a popular club and members focused on improving the lot of house-elves.

Harry realised Professor Lupin was a werewolf while completing the assignment set by Snape when he was a substitute teacher.

Harry privately discussed his worries about the cursed diary hidden in the forest with Neville – it was unable to be retrieved and permanently disposed of due to the presence of Dementors around Hogwarts. Neville wasn't the only one listening in, however. Scabbers went missing right after that conversation, and Storm's tracking attempts suggested he'd run off into the forest.

Over Yule Harry dissembled that he was "staying with family" – but it was his second cousin Narcissa Malfoy and her family and not the Dursleys that he visited. His stay went smoothly but his return did not. At King's Cross Sirius caught Harry entering with the Malfoys and attempted to abscond with him. Sirius and Lucius duelled, and to Sirius' shock Harry stabbed him with Dudley's steel knife, forcing Sirius to flee. The press was almost as pleased by how things went as Lucius was.

Quirrellmort started writing to Harry again, stating how he was now "settled in a new house" and had hopes for a future permanent solution to his "illness". He had questions about the rumours of Harry and Lockhart's dubious adventures in the Chamber of Secrets, but Harry didn't answer them in his reply since he'd become convinced that Quirrell was possessed by Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort. Lord Voldemort was open in his subsequent reply, apologising for the Potters' deaths, and offering a truce. Harry guardedly accepted it after much consideration but undermined the spirit of it by secretively writing to the Minister about Quirrell's possession.

Harry noticed Luna being bullied in Potter Watch and stepped in to help, asking a Ravenclaw to watch out for her. She gravitated into Harry's increasingly integrated circle of friends from multiple Houses.

Sirius Black kidnapped Ron, and Sirius' "meet me alone at the Shrieking Shack if you want him back" letter was delayed by Harry's owl ward. The Weasley twins gave their enchanted map to the Aurors to help them locate their brother, but it didn't yield any results. Harry and Hermione used her Time-Turner to go back some hours on a rescue mission – as clues earlier that day suggested they would – and in the new past, they gave Neville and Millicent letters to open later that instructed them on when and how to fetch help.

Sirius' incoherent explanation about an evil rat failed to persuade. Harry attacked Professor Lupin while Hermione and Storm attacked Sirius. Alas Harry and his friends were defeated, and Sirius and Lupin relocated them all to a cave outside Hogsmeade. The second round of explanations went better – aided by a Pensieve and Veritaseum – and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all convinced of Sirius' innocence.

Dementors approached the cave and Sirius ran for it with Harry's cloak and Hermione's Time-Turner to help him escape. Lupin and the kids held them off with Patroni while Storm slithered off to fetch help. Snape and Aurors arrived swiftly from Hogsmeade and they were saved but Lupin was arrested for being an accessory to kidnapping, committing an assault, and stealing Snape's Pensieve.

In the aftermath, Dumbledore promised a distraught Harry that he'd work diligently to clear Sirius' name. Pansy, Daphne, Millicent, and Tracey meanwhile were very impressed that Hermione had respected pure-blood traditions and repaid her Life Debt to Harry. The Slytherin girls warmed to her, though Draco and Crabbe remained reluctant to move to a first name basis with her.

Harry asked the Aurors how their investigation of Quirrell was going but they were dismissive, saying they'd investigated his claims and found no evidence of possession. Dumbledore had reportedly been mysteriously vague with them, and Snape unhelpful.

With Lupin gone, Snape took over as the DADA teacher until the end of the year (when he retired altogether), and Professor Slughorn joined the staff to teach Potions. The _Daily Prophet_ reported a mass breakout of Death Eaters and criminals from Azkaban, including Lupin. It was masterminded by Pettigrew, Quirrell, and a wizard of unknown appearance believed by the more informed to be Lord Voldemort. Most wizards, however, accepted the _Prophet_ 's propaganda about Sirius being the ringleader. Harry schmoozed friends and those with connections, and gave multiple media interviews to try and clear Sirius' name, but it was an uphill battle.

With the Dementors around Hogwarts apparently recalled to Azkaban, Harry went to retrieve the hidden diary from the Forbidden Forest via a secret tunnel from the Chamber of Secrets, but found it missing. A centaur returned him to the school grounds, where he was caught being out of bounds. Disguising his appearance with his mild Metamorphmagus abilities, Harry used the fake name Antares Black in an attempt to avoid questions and loss of points for Gryffindor. He was taken to his alleged Head of House Professor Snape for punishment, who didn't betray his identity nor broadcast news of his Metamorphmagus ability.

Lupin announced in a letter to the _Daily Prophet_ that _he_ was the evil mastermind of the Azkaban breakout and out for Harry's blood. His angry rant about how Sirius was unfortunately innocent, and no true follower of his revered Dark Lord, pushed the wizarding world into thinking Sirius deserved a trial after all. Hermione had a plan to help the trial go well – liquid luck. After quaffing the potion she had a great day, with Sirius being found innocent, new revelations about goblin culture, a book deal with a publisher to write an introduction to the wizarding world for Muggle-borns, and the establishment of better relationships with her female Housemates.

The year ended with mysterious visions no-one paid much attention to by Trelawney and Harry. Trelawney had a "fit" during Seamus Finnigan's Divination exam and babbled about blood, death, and "fathers fighting over the son", which was dismissed by witnesses present as being part of her usual histrionic act. Harry nervously returned to the Dursleys' for the summer, not helped by Sirius and Lucius posturing at each other and offending Uncle Vernon. Harry had a foreboding dream he remembered little of the next morning. In his dream, Lord Voldemort conducted some kind of ritual where Harry was something tiny held in the Dark Lord's hand. He also talked with Bellatrix about prophecies and the possible adoption of Harry as his Heir.

* * *

A/N: I hope some of my readers found these fic summaries useful. I know it can be tough for readers to remember what happened in a long series when there's been a long break since they last read it, and they might have read a dozen similar HP fics since then, further confusing their memories.

Elaltz and Mirabilos – thank you for motivating me to write my recaps.

Veysha and ladyofsilverdawn – thank you very much for being betas for this work. You were a great help!


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